Shavuah tov. May this week before Rosh HaShanah help us and the world see the real truths in life, and act righteously upon that awareness.
The weekend has been spent in more back-and-forth rhetoric and actions between Iran and the West, and between Israel and Hezbollah. After Hezbollah launched a drone attack from Lebanon, the Israelis responded by destroying more Hezbollah sites, some of which also had IRGC personnel. The IDF released an official statement that they are "operating now and will continue to operate forcefully against Hezbollah's repeated attempts to harm our forces.”
Iran's news service reported that Iran attacked American sites in Jordan on Friday night, which prompted the U.S. to increase both their words and actions. President Trump told reporters at the White House that "we may strike Mount Makhosh very soon. We know everyone who moves on Mount Makhosh. And if something goes wrong, we hit them hard." Iran then claimed to have attacked U.S. ships in the Strait.
This was followed up by CENTCOM reporting that forces struck three Iranian oil tankers carrying crude oil after the Revolutionary Guards had actually launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters. The American aircraft carrier and a missile destroyer successfully evaded several Iranian attacks with no casualties; but CENTCOM was clear that Iran's attacks will never go unanswered, and U.S. military intelligence reports that Iran's attacks are all with the intent of affecting the November elections, and will probably continue at least until then.
On Saturday night, Iran's emergency command released a statement threatening the U.S. military and stated that if attacks on Iranian ships and the naval blockade continue, "strikes on American military vessels in the region will be more severe than before, and the scope of these operations could expand. "
The Iranian Foreign Minister also met with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia with the intent of "establishing stability in the region and ending insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz," which Iran attributed to "aggressive actions by the United States." For some reason, most media did not report the Saturday night meeting, which is extremely disturbing as Iran is a declared enemy of the U.S.; Turkey keeps demonstrating that they are an undeclared enemy of the U.S., Israel, and the West; and Saudi Arabia is a declared ally. And as we have discussed so many times, Turkey under the Erdogan regime is open about their desire to become the main power in the region (and according to Turkish theology, the world).
For those who idealize the Islamic regimes, this weekend was a demonstration of their actual values. In Egypt, considered a "moderate" Islamic nation, an Egyptian television personality, Sara Khalifa, was convicted of producing drugs with the intent to distribute. Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported that "Khalifa and 11 other defendants were sentenced to death by hanging, for establishing an organized crime gang specializing in obtaining materials used for drug production, with the intent to trade them.” Each and every American protesting for Islamic organizations, be they Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, or any Islamic nation, should remember the penalty for drugs: death.
According to data from the Prison Policy Initiative and federal agencies, approximately 360,000 to 362,000 people are incarcerated for drug offenses across all levels of the U.S. correctional system on any given day. If, God forbid, the U.S. followed "moderate" Islamic law, such as what is found in Egypt, over 300,000 people would have been sentenced to death. The next time that anyone tells you that Islamic law is harmonious with American values, remind them of what happened in the "moderate" nation of Egypt this weekend.
We are only a few days from Rosh HaShanah, the beginning of a new year. Our services are over capacity (we are the largest provider of no-cost High Holiday services in the nation), but if you would like to stream the services from outside the Los Angeles area, please email [email protected] to make arrangements to participate virtually.
May we all enter this upcoming year with honesty and integrity, purpose and passion, and with the personal self-reflection and commitment that will bring each of us meaning, growth, and inner peace.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
September 6, 2026
24th of Elul, 5786
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